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DPA MICROPHONES BRING VOCAL CLARITY TO BÉNABAR'S LIVE SOUND

Veteran sound engineer Philippe Bouic has switched the French singer to d:facto™ Vocal Microphones because they so perfectly suit his voice.

DPA Microphones have been hailed as the 'go-to brand for live music' by the sound team behind the French singer-songwriter Bénabar, who has recently completed a live tour using the company's award-winning d:facto™ Vocal Microphone.

Veteran sound engineer Philippe Bouicbegan working with Bénabar since 1999 and was responsible for choosing DPA d:facto™ Vocal Microphones for the artist's recent live shows, on the recommendation of Audio2, DPA's distributor in France.

"I had heard people talk about this new microphone,and I wanted to try it," he says."I compared it with other brands and, after consulting with my monitor man, we decided to use d:facto™ for this tour. We were particularly impressed by its natural sound and the timbre of the microphone. It doesn't add any colouration as it is very neutral, which makes it very respectful of the voice or instruments it is capturing. I also like the fact that the frequency range is wide and that it extends from deep, low frequencies through to those at the top of the range."

Bénabar's uniquely French, chanson-influenced style means he is usually accompanied by a piano, accordion or brass section. "The voice, in the mix, is detached, which makes for very good comprehension. When singing in French, it's especially important for the lyrics to be easily understood," Philippe Bouic explains.

Philippe Bouic had experience of using DPA microphones previously,in 2006, when Bénabar was on tour and using his trademark acoustic piano. On that occasion he used a d:dicate™ 4021 Compact Cardioid Microphone, which has now been replaced by the d:dicate™ 4011C Compact Cardiod Microphone. "This is a microphone that I use all the time when I'm working with an acoustic piano sound," he explains. "However, on this tour we used d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphones on the horn section (a trumpet, saxophone and trombone) as well as on the cello and the double-bass. They are incredibly small, versatile and easy to use – plus they sound amazing."

And it won't be the last time that DPA, Philippe Bouic and Bénabar will team up. "DPA will definitely be part of the next Bénabar tour as we all want to use the company's microphones again," he says "When it comes to live music, DPA is the go-to brand - I love them."

Bénabar was nominated in the Victoires de la Musique awards 2003 and in 2004 won the award for Chanson/Variété of the year. In 2007,he won awards for Male Group or Artist of the Year and Original Song of the Year. He has released 11 albums and his current release is Bénabar: Inspirée de Faits Réel.